Over the course of the last two conference seasons, Missouri has made 54 percent of its 2-point shots, a striking number that says the Tigers have excelled at getting the ball to the correct player at the best spot on the floor for a high-percentage shot.

That brand of excellence is often said to be the mark of a great point guard, but Missouri's performance may actually be one more piece of evidence in the case of People v. Rote Point Guard Idolatry. It's natural for fans to want the point guard position to be the direct equivalent of a quarterback, but the truth is Mark Sanchez can harm his team in ways that Phil Pressey demonstrably could not. Last season, many observers found fault with Pressey's decision-making at point guard, and not without reason. But at the end of the day, the junior's bold impromptu explorations of one-on-five sets and anti-hero ball did not preclude Missouri from having a superb offense.

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